Portland Mayor Charlie Hales took control of all city bureaus in February. He knows it's about time to give them back to city commissioners, but who should get what?Benjamin Brink/The Oregonian

Portland Mayor Charlie Hales' decision to scoop up all city bureaus for three months is stretching on longer than planned.

Hales took control of the bureaus in early February and was expected to dish out assignments to Portland's four city commissioners in early May.

But Hales now says that won't happen until the end of the month, with the budget his top priority and the Portland City Council scheduled to bless the 2013-14 budget May 29 before a formal vote June 20. (It also obviously makes sense not to assign bureaus to commissioners before then, which would enable last-minute, self-interested financial maneuvering after they learn their assignments).

Hales said he only recently met with colleagues to discuss their interests and acknowledged that keeping the bureaus so long can create "tensions." His governance over everything "has to come to an end pretty soon," he said last week.

With that in mind, here's a completely unsubstantiated scenario about how assignments could play out, or at the very least some possible choices Hales could be weighing:

Hales: Portland's new mayor seemingly has to give up something from the portfolio held by predecessor Sam Adams, but he's already expected to add the Office of Equity and Human Rights. Common sense says Hales won't let go of the Office of Management and Finance, the city attorney's office, government relations, the Portland Development Commission or the Police Bureau, and probably not emergency management. That leaves transportation and planning/sustainability. Hales campaigned on reprioritizing basic street maintenance so handing it off could open him up to criticism. If something's gotta go, it's one of these two and most likely planning.Commissioner Nick Fish: Fish still meets regularly with housing officials and it would be highly unexpected if he didn't reclaim his cherished bureau. But with his hopes for a bond measure now fleeting, Fish's management of Portland Parks & Recreation seems to be up. Fish has never had one of the utilities -- water or environmental services -- so that time could be nearing. Let's pencil him in for environmental services. And let's not forget Fish's outrage over the way the Bureau of Development Services handled the apartment permitting issue in Southeast Portland earlier this year, which could put him in line for that assignment.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman: The dean of the council, having served since 1999, Saltzman has never had transportation. So if Hales decides to give it up, our money is on Saltzman -- perceived to be a reformer capable of fixing broken bureaus. But along the same line of thinking, Saltzman is also a logical choice for the Water Bureau. And we also wouldn't be surprised to see him get back the police and fire disability and retirement fund. The other smart choice for Saltzman would be the Fire Bureau. He was the one that pushed for new rapid response vehicles, an idea that Hales is hammering home by proposing that the four units replace four fire engines. Either way, Saltzman could very well have his hands full (which would make the next year pretty interesting, given that he hasn't announced whether he'll run for a fifth term in 2014).

Commissioner Amanda Fritz: During her re-election campaign, Fritz said she wanted a bureau with trucks. Her hard-nosed watchdogging of the Water Bureau could make her a strategic pick for Hales, who wants to keep rates low. But she's also perceived to be too close to several community groups known to antagonize bureau leaders. A former member of the planning commission, Fritz would seemingly jump at the opportunity to take planning/sustainability during the lead up to a new comprehensive plan. And if the Parks Bureau really isn't going to ask the public to approve a bond measure, there wouldn't be a problem giving Fritz -- who hates fundraising and basically self-funded her re-election campaign -- control of recreation.

Commissioner Steve Novick: The council neophyte, Novick has clearly stated that he wants the Fire Bureau. But if Hales is serious about reforms, does it make sense to give the bureau to the guy who received big support from the firefighters' union? Maybe, maybe not. If Novick gets what he wants, it also would make sense for him to take emergency communications or perhaps emergency management. And let's not leave out the typical rookie assignment, the Office of Neighborhood Involvement (although Fritz, a neighborhood activist at heart, would probably be more than happy to get it back, too).

City Hall followers, what assignments do you think the mayor and each commissioner should get, and why?